Nigerian journalists and others protest the closure of universities.

On Monday, the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN) rallied other education stakeholders to demand the “prompt reopening of Nigerian universities.”

Jiti Ogunye, a rights activist and former national secretary of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR); Yinka Ogunde, convener of the Concerned the Parents and Educators (CPE) Network; and representatives of the National Parent-Teachers’ Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), among others, were among those who took part in the protest.

The intervention was deemed necessary “following President Muhammadu Buhari’s nonchalant attitude toward the continued shutdown of universities for almost three months,” according to the association, which represents journalists from print, broadcast, and online media outlets who cover education in the country.

Tokunbo Wahab, the governor’s special adviser on education, got the letter on behalf of the governor, while Ademola Kasumu, a politician representing Ikeja 2 constituency, received another copy on behalf of Mudasiru Obasa, the state’s speaker.

EWAN’s chairman, Mojeed Alabi, spoke on behalf of the organization and expressed concern over the “widespread rot in the nation’s education sector.”

He claimed that both the government and the striking university employees had contributed to the rot.